Friday, October 28, 2011

Laid Bare by Lauren Dane

For what it's worth, I have almost DAILY thoughts of what I'd like to share here, LOL. Just not the gumption. You know how it is of course. Today, I'll give Lauren Dane the credit for getting me off my ass and on Blogger.

Dane has been on my TBR list for years. And I did read one of her Federation titles (Relentless) a year or two ago. Loved it and looked forward to her backlist. However, along about then my monthly reading fell to somewhere between little and none.

But then...the cover for Never Enough was released. There are no words...really. It is stunning. And compelling enough to get me to her website and from there to turning the first page of Laid Bare.

What an extraordinary, beautiful read. Absorbing in a way that reminded me of the joy inherent in losing oneself in a great book. All of the five-star reviewer words apply: utterly captivating, refreshing in its departure from the standard, characters come to life, with an emotional depth that is breath-taking, eroticism that is both subtle and astonishing, and so on. I wasn't surprised; I knew this about Dane. I was simply bowled over by the pleasure of reading this book. I'd almost forgotten--or maybe lost--that feeling. That deep contentment born of an emotional investment in both character and story. Or, maybe, I'd just replaced it with an occasional glass of exceptional Chardonnay. Now that Dane has reminded me, I'm reaching for more books, seeking the way they make me feel in the same way you might crave a drug. Or wine.

I've since ordered the next two in the Brown siblings series. Book 3 arrived yesterday and I'm hoping book 2 gets here today--because THIS is how I wish to spend my weekend. Then I'll purchase Never Enough and hope that I can look away from the cover long enough to read the pages in between.